So what the heck is Diverse Dinners up to? Well, I’ve been having fun times in the fall!

But I’m guilt-ridden, as I imagine you, my wonderful readers, are disappointed with my recent absence.

I dreamt the other night, that a new popular hashtag had been created – #wheresdiversedinnersat?! The hashtag was created by my readers who are up on the current culture vibe. My readers who could care less about pop culture had created the hashtag #wheretheheckisdiversedinners. Both were trending – then I woke up!

For those of you who have felt neglected, I’m so sorry. Life has truly got in the way the past few months, resulting in some very quiet time here at Diverse Dinners. 

What’s been great about my time away from my blog is that my silence wasn’t a waste. I’ve been traveling, visiting some of my favorite places and adding new ones to the list.

So, as a steadfast mea culpa, I will share my travels with you. I’ve had a great time, it has been nothing but truly fun times in the fall and I hope my travel experiences entice you to travel somewhere fun soon.

 

 

As you can see, I’ve traveled this fall – Chicago, Miami, Mexico, Las Vegas and San Francisco.

 

Chicago

I love going to Chicago, I have a friend that lives there Stephane St Jaymes, Fashion Designer, and he always takes me somewhere new every time I visit.

Fun Times in the Fall by Diverse DinnersDuring my recent trip Stephane took me to visit Hyde Park, we stopped at President Obama’s house. I couldn’t get close to the house, due to all the security, but it was cool just to be in the vicinity.

I also ventured out on my own and ate at The Purple Pig. The Purple Pig is a very busy restaurant which has a huge cheese and charcuterie selection, and lots of other fun stuff on the menu. There was a couple next to me who appeared to be trying everything on the menu. I have never seen two people eat so much. They were a cute couple, taking advantage of what I assume was two very fast metabolic rates. 

 

Miami

I try to go to Miami every year for the Caribbean carnival, it’s so much fun. But this year wasn’t easy due to Hurricane Matthew.

Hurricane Matthew first reared its head on September 22. It gained momentum across the Caribbean Sea and hit Haiti hard. It was then downgraded to a storm just before hitting Cuba and then the Bahamas. By October 6, the day I was scheduled to fly to Miami, Florida was preparing for another significant hit. Government officials cautioned residents who lived in the path of the storm to leave town.

Fun Times in the Fall by Diverse DinnersBy this time most would’ve canceled their travel plans. I almost did, but after a conversation with my niece, who reminded how much I hated to miss Miami Carnival, I took to the internet and found an alternative flight into Palm Beach. The flight into Palm Beach was a little scary, turbulence was an issue of course. Not surprisingly the flight was very light on passengers.

All was good and we landed safely. I hit the ground running, checked into my hotel, Mondrian, South Beach, and was shaking my hips to music within the hour!

The following days was filled with food, drinks and music, and I said “no” to very little! Definitely, fun times in the fall.

 

 

Mexico

I was part of a wedding party in Mexico. We stayed at Karisma’s Azul Fives, which was a wonderful hotel. There were some issues with the air conditioning in our part of the hotel, but we were quickly moved to a very nice room with the best air conditioning money can buy.

Fun Times in Fall by Diverse DinnersThe wedding was a lot of fun, but what really made this trip was the food. The Karisma hotel chain really pride itself on providing gourmet all you can eat fare, and I say top marks! The food was so good.  If I had more time, I would’ve had a meal eat at every restaurant, but my cousin and I developed a crush on the poolside restaurant, Oriola. We have a penchant for a good taco and well crafted margaritas, and Oriola can provide exactly that.

Azul Fives is a must visit if you’re planning on visiting Playa del Carmen. The weather is perfect in mid October, so you will be sure to have fun times in the fall, just as we did.

 

 

 

Las Vegas

Vegas is one of those places, you either love it or hate it. I love it, because there’s so much fun to be had.

I was excited to see what had changed in Vegas, as it has been a while since my last visit.  A highlight of my fun times in the fall was the High Roller. So much fun.

 

 

San Francisco

This was my first visit to San Francisco, and I enjoyed EVERY moment. What a wonderful city! So much to offer in a small space. The only draw back was the weather. 

Fun Times in the Fall by Diverse DinnersI was there with a friend for three days. The first day was beautiful, but the following two days were yuck, constant rain. Although, the rain kinda added to the ambiance of the city.

After a ride on a cable car, my friend and I sat in The Buena Vista Cafe sipping on Irish Coffees, I had two, and they were yummy.

Fun Times in the Fall by Diverse Dinners

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve always wanted to visit San Francisco. For some reason I feel a special affinity for the Golden Gate Bridge, I’ve wanted to visit it for years. I was ecstatic when I placed my feet on the bridge. I took a ton of pictures. Me with the bridge in the background, the bridge before I stepped on it, the bridge while I walked it, the bridge in the background after I walked it. You name it.

Walking the bridge has always been on my must do list, and I was so happy that I was able to experience what it was like. Going forward, every time I see the Golden Gate Bridge on the TV, I will have my memories of that experience. That’s why I travel. My travel experiences give me so much joy.

Let’s take a look at the bridge…

 

 

My other San Francisco list item was to ride a cable car. I paid my $7 and took a ride in the rain. Nothing was stopping me experiencing a cable car ride. The weather took away from the views of the city, but it was still a fab experience.

 

 

There’s so much to see in such a small city, so we braced ourselves and battled the weather.  Here’s a list of what we saw:

I knew I’d have a great time in San Francisco, but I didn’t expect to love it so. As soon as I can, I will return, to San Francisco, and Oakland CA. Visiting these cities was a great end to my fun times in the fall.

You are bound to enjoy yourself if you choose to go to any of the destinations I visited this fall. Plan ahead and do some of what I did. But don’t just have fun times in the fall, have fun at any time at all.